Austria · Kamptal

Weingut Hiedler

A 1856 Langenlois family estate making Kamptal Grüner Veltliner, Riesling and Weissburgunder from named vineyards, with hand work, natural yeast and lees ageing shaping dry, site-led whites.

The producer

Weingut Hiedler farms 30 hectares in Langenlois, Kamptal, where Grüner Veltliner and Riesling carry the cool-climate stamp of firm acidity, spice and citrus. Ludwig and Dietmar Hiedler took responsibility in 2023, continuing a family estate founded in 1856 whose first vines stood in Thal and Spiegel. Named sites let grape and ground meet on the label: Steinhaus for Riesling; Thal, Kittmannsberg, Schenkenbichl and Käferberg for Grüner Veltliner; Schenkenbichl also for Weissburgunder.

The estate works by hand with cover crops, compost and limited soil disturbance, then uses natural yeast, gentle pressing and extended lees ageing in steel, acacia or small oak. That approach gives the whites shape without covering their fruit: Grüner Veltliner can bring peppery spice and savoury grip, Weissburgunder a broader orchard-fruit texture, and Riesling lime, white peach and citrus peel. Riesling Ried Steinhaus 2024 is the clearest example: rocky terraces, steel fermentation and months on lees lead to juicy acidity and a firm, mineral finish.

Known for

Named-vineyard Kamptal Grüner Veltliner and Riesling, with Weissburgunder from Schenkenbichl.

Notable facts

The story

Bruno Hiedler’s Schenkenbichl planting

In 1955, Bruno Hiedler planted Weissburgunder in the Schenkenbichl vineyard, when the variety was still uncommon in the Danube region. He selected a lower parcel because its drainage and soil profile suited the grape. It was a small, low-yielding planting, rather than the sort of vine chosen for easy volume. The vineyard’s amphibolite, gneiss and loess remained beneath the rows as the vines aged. The estate identifies those Schenkenbichl plants as the oldest Weissburgunder vines in the Danube region, and the site remains part of Hiedler’s range alongside Grüner Veltliner.

From the atlas

Weingut Hiedler

At A Glance

The Producer

Weingut Hiedler is a family estate in Langenlois, in Austria’s Kamptal, founded in 1856 by Josef and Anna Hiedler. Its first vines were in Thal and Spiegel; today the family farms 30 hectares and works mainly with Grüner Veltliner and Riesling, alongside Weissburgunder. Ludwig and Dietmar Hiedler took responsibility in 2023, with Ludwig named as winemaker in independent producer records. The estate’s bottles move from regional wines to named-vineyard releases, so the grape remains familiar while the vineyard name signals a more particular slope and soil.

Place

Kamptal brings together warm daytime air from the Danube plain and cooler air from the northwestern highlands. That day-and-night swing slows ripening, helping Grüner Veltliner retain acidity beside its spice and allowing Riesling to keep citrus definition as its fruit develops. In Langenlois, Hiedler’s named sites turn that climate into distinct labels: Steinhaus for Riesling, and Thal, Kittmannsberg, Schenkenbichl and Käferberg for Grüner Veltliner.

Soil And Site

Steinhaus is Hiedler’s steepest site in Langenlois. Its terraces carry thin humus over gneiss, amphibolite, quartz and feldspar, and vine roots work into fissures in the rock. Riesling from this ground is documented with lime, citrus peel, cool mineral notes and a firm grip, a shape that fits a lean topsoil and rocky slope rather than broad, soft fruit.

Schenkenbichl has amphibolite, gneiss and loess. That combination supports both Grüner Veltliner and Weissburgunder in Hiedler’s range: the former can show spice and savoury weight, while the latter has a rounder fruit texture without losing freshness.

Story

The Hiedlers began with Thal and Spiegel in 1856, then expanded a family vineyard holding into a modern Kamptal estate without abandoning named sites. In 1992, Ludwig Hiedler and like-minded growers helped establish the Traditional Austrian Wine Estates association, which focused attention on important Danube vineyard sites. That work sits naturally beside Hiedler’s own range, where a label such as Steinhaus or Gaisberg directs attention to the origin of the grapes rather than only to a grape variety.

The current handover also keeps the estate’s work close to the family. Ludwig and Dietmar assumed responsibility in 2023, while the wines continue to centre on Grüner Veltliner and Riesling from places with markedly different ground and exposure.

Vineyards And Cellar

Hiedler describes its vineyard work as organic and guided by regenerative-agriculture principles. Herbicides, insecticides and artificial fertilisers were removed decades ago; cover crops, compost and limited soil disturbance are used in the rows. Hand work matters on steep and varied sites because fruit can be picked selectively rather than treated as one uniform crop, helping acidity and ripeness arrive together in the press.

In the cellar, the estate uses natural yeast, gentle pressing and extended lees ageing. Fermentation and ageing can take place in steel, acacia or small oak vessels, while malolactic fermentation is neither blocked nor forced. The result is not one fixed recipe: steel can keep citrus and floral fruit direct, lees can add texture, and a completed malolactic fermentation can soften the edges of acidity when the wine calls for it.

Wines

The range is organised through grape and vineyard. Grüner Veltliner appears from Thal, Kittmannsberg, Schenkenbichl and Käferberg, where spice, fruit weight and smoky, savoury notes can follow the site’s metamorphic ground. Riesling comes from Steinhaus, Gaisberg and Heiligenstein, with the grape carrying citrus, white peach and mineral detail more readily than oak sweetness.

Weissburgunder has a particular place at Hiedler through Schenkenbichl. Its lower-yielding fruit offers a different texture from Grüner Veltliner: less peppery, often broader through the middle, and useful alongside Kamptal’s high-acid white wines. Named-vineyard releases make the range less about a simple ladder of quality than about choosing grape and ground together.

In The Glass

Across Hiedler’s white wines, expect dry profiles shaped by acidity rather than residual sweetness. Grüner Veltliner brings fine spice, fruit and savoury grip; Weissburgunder adds softer orchard-fruit weight; Riesling takes the clearest citrus line. On the documented Steinhaus Riesling, lime and white peach lead into citrus peel, lemongrass and cool mineral notes. Several months on lees fill out the palate, but the finish remains juicy and gripping because the rocky site and cool Kamptal nights preserve acidity.

A Bottle To Understand It

Riesling Ried Steinhaus 2024 is the first bottle to try. It is a dry 1ÖTW Erste Lage Riesling from Steinhaus, Hiedler’s steep, thin-soiled Langenlois site. The grapes were selectively hand-harvested over several passes, destemmed, lightly crushed, macerated for several hours, gently pressed, fermented in steel and aged on lees for several months.

At 13% alcohol, it has lime, white peach, citrus peel and lemongrass over a cool mineral register. The palate has juicy acidity and a gripping texture rather than heavy body, with lees giving substance through the middle. It shows how Riesling, rock and careful handling meet in one bottle, and the estate states that it can age for 15 years or more.

Anecdote

In 1955, Bruno Hiedler planted Weissburgunder in the Schenkenbichl vineyard when the variety was still uncommon in the Danube region. He chose a lower parcel whose drainage and soil profile suited the grape, even though Weissburgunder was a small, low-yielding planting rather than an obvious commercial choice. The vines remained, and the estate identifies them as the oldest Weissburgunder vines in the Danube region. Schenkenbichl still appears in Hiedler’s vineyard vocabulary alongside Grüner Veltliner, with amphibolite, gneiss and loess beneath the vines.

Final Word

Hiedler is most useful to approach through its sites: Grüner Veltliner for spice and savoury grip, Weissburgunder for texture, and Riesling for citrus and mineral length. Steinhaus puts the estate’s Kamptal climate, rocky ground and lees-aged cellar work into especially clear focus.

Sources

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